PINACEAE. SCIADOPITYS 65 



The Sciadopitys delights in steep, rocky situations, sheltered from strong winds 

 and where it is cool and moist. On Koya-san the trees average from 20 to 30 m. 

 in height and from 1.6 to 2.6 m. in girth of trunk, and the largest I saw was about 

 35 m. tall and 4 m. in girth of trunk. In Shinano I saw trees from 40 to 45 m. 

 tall, but none more than 3.5 m. in girth and the majority much less. The branches 

 are short and slender and in the forest shade spread horizontally and are slightly 

 upturned toward the end, but in the open and on the upper part of the tree the 

 branches are ascending-spreading and even quite ascending. New leaders are 

 readily formed and trees with three or four are common. Those familiar with this 

 conifer only as a lawn tree, where it forms usually a dense pyramid branched from 

 the ground, would be surprised at its appearance in the forest, where it is gaunt and 

 thin, so that, standing close to its bole and looking upward, the sky is clearly visible 

 through the narrow crown. The bark is thin and nearly smooth, gray to gray- 

 brown without and red-brown within, and splits into long thin sheets which easily 

 strip off. This bark is made into a rough tow and is employed in calking boats, in 

 packing the joints of steampipes, etc. The wood is soft, white, fragrant and with- 

 stands water and damp well. It is used for making small boats, bathtubs, etc. 

 The wood of the trees on Koya-san is said to be superior to that of the trees which 

 grow in the valley of the Kiso-gawa. 



The cones mature the second season and are produced in great numbers, and as 

 mentioned before seedlings from self-sown seeds abound on the forest floor. Pro- 

 liferous cones are not uncommon and as mementoes of their visit are much sought 

 after by the pilgrims who annually journey to Koya-san in great crowds. In old 

 gardens, parks and temple grounds in Nara, Kyoto, Kobe, Nagoya, Yokohama, 

 Tokyo and other wealthy cities small plants of the Umbrella Pine are occasionally 

 met with, but it does not appear to be one of the popular trees in Japan. The only 

 large planted tree I saw is the one growing in the courtyard of one of the temples 

 in Shiba Park, Tokyo, which is mentioned by Sargent and shown in a figure on 

 p. 102 of A Traveller's Notes by James H. Veitch. This specimen is about 26 m. 

 tall with a trunk 3 m. in girth and the habit is remarkable. It has the short 

 slender branches of the species, but they are decurved and their terminal branch- 

 lets are all upturned and ascending and the outline of the tree is therefore nar- 

 rowly columnar. Bean (Trees & Shrubs Brit. Isl. II. 507 [1914]) gives the name 

 of var. pendula to this tree and says that one of similar habit is growing in the 

 garden of Mr. L. Rothschild at Gunnesbury Park, near London. 



In cultivation the Sciadopitys is one of the most distinct and one of the hand- 

 somest of all conifers and is deservedly a favorite in many lands. In eastern 

 North America it is perfectly hardy as far north as Boston but grows very slowly. 



Sciadopitys verticillata was discovered by Thunberg in 1775-76 and was early 

 introduced by the Dutch to Java. From Buitenzorg a plant was sent to England by 

 Thomas Lobb when collecting for Messrs. Veitch; it arrived in 1853, but died 

 soon afterward. In 1861 John Gould Veitch sent seeds to England and from these 

 many plants were raised. About the same time Robert Fortune also sent seeds 

 home. To this country it was introduced by Dr. George R. Hall, who gave a quan- 

 tity of seeds to the Parsons Nursery, Flushing, New York, in 1862. 



